Steam turbine installation



March 21, 1961 C. D. WILSON STEAM TURBINE INSTALLATION Filed March 17, 1958 United States Patent() STEAM TURBINE INSTALLATION Charles D. Wilson, West Allis, Wis., assignor to Allis- Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed Mar. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 721,855

3 Claims. (Cl. 60-95) This invention relates to an elastic fluid turbine installation and more particularly to a new and useful improvement in the arrangement of an elastic fluid turbine with respect to the subfoundation level, and floor structure.

Heretofore in elastic fluid turbine installations it has been customary to arrange a turbine supported in an elevated position above a subfoundation level with floor structure above the subfoundation level, and an access platform above the floor structure. The floor structure is the main floor upon which the-turbine controls are operated and upon which the principal instruments are located and read. The access platform is the lower part of the turbine jacketing forming a narrow walkway above the floor structure, and around the turbine, which is used by operating personnel to check the bearings and journals for lubrication and like services. In order to reach the access platform from the floor structure it is necessary to construct stairways. Wherever the stairways were attached to or formed in the jacketing, joints in the jacketing were necessary in order ot provide for dismantling and removal of turbine covering structure when access to the turbine became necessary. Joints in the jacketing were also necessary at the point where the jacketing and access platform intersect. A substantial number of joints in turbine jacketing were therefore necessary. Joints in the casingare critical areas because they are expensive to machine and properly fit. Furthermore, the space below the floor structure but above the subfoundation level was often insufiicient to accommodate the large amount of oil, steam, air, water and other auxiliary piping, the steam chest and other auxiliary equipment which it is desirable to have in that space. In order to get as much of this auxiliary structure and equipment as possible in the desirable area some of it was placed in the space under the access platform. In order to reach this auxiliary structure and equipment for inspection or repair, dismantling of the jacketing andv platform had to be accomplished. In addition, extraction and oil piping which could be located in the space under the access platform had to be placed in special trenches in the foundation thereby introducing design problems with the reinforcing of the foundation structure and making the foundation structure a costly portion of the installation.

In the present invention the elastic fluid turbine installation is arranged with a subfoundation level, an elastic fluid turbine supported above the subfoundation level and main floor structure at least as high above the foundation as approximately the centerline of the turbine so that parts of the turbine that must be reached can be reached without the need for an access platform and associated stairways.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the need for stairways and an access platform, and the substantial number of joints in the shrouding created by these stairways, and the platform.

It is a further object of this invention to eliminate dis mantling of the turbine jacket structure when inspection of the piping and auxiliary equipment is necessary by making the piping and auxiliary piping accessible from the space below the turbine.

It is still another object of this invention to eliminate the sleeves and trenches in the foundation structure which result in high construction costs and design problems to maintain foundation structure strengths.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, references being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown and wherein similar reference numbers denote similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of a portion of an elastic fluid turbine installation according to the present invention as applied to a cross compound unit, with portions of the supporting structure broken away to more clearly show the arrangement; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same arrangement shown in Fig. 1 but more clearly shows the overall appearance of the installation when viewed from above and slightly to one side.

As shown in the drawings, and in Fig. l in particular, an elastic fluid turbine 1 is arranged to be supported in an elevated position above a subfoundation level 2 which usually will be at ground level or below. Foundation structure consisting of vertical elements 3 and connecting horizontal spans 4, indicated in the drawing as being poured cement but which could be other material such as steel I-beams, is mounted on the subfoundation 2 and extends upwardly from the subfoundation. The turbine 1 is illustrated as being a cross compound unit and is illustrated in Fig. 2 more clearly as having a high pressure unit 5 and an intermediate pressure unit 6 attached to a generator 7 and a low pressure unit 8 attached to a generator 9. In Fig. 1 the turbine is shown mounted on the foundation structure in an elevated position above the subfoundation. The turbine is arranged to have its longitudinal centerline axis in a horizontal plane. Floor structure 13 is spaced above the subfoundation approximately at the longitudinal centerline axis of the turbine. Approximately, as used in this specification and claims, shall be defined as very near, close to, and shall be limited to mean a distance of a few inches.

In an elastic fluid turbine arrangement as described above and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the arrangement of the floor structure 13 at approximately the longitudinal centerline axis of the turbine 1 eliminates the need for stairways and an access platform to enable the operator to reach various parts of the turbine unit. This allows the turbine casing to be smooth and unbroken by platform levels and provides for much less expensive manufacture and assembly. For any particular elevation of the turbine 1 above the subfoundation level 2 the arrangement of the floor structure 13, approximately at the longitudinal centerline of the turbine increases the amount of space available below the floor structure but above the subfoundation for the location of a condenser 14, condensate pump 15, crossover conduit 16, inlet piping 17 and auxiliary equipment, not shown. This arrangement eliminates the need for trenches or sleeves in the foundation which were previously necessary for the location of this piping and makes the piping and auxiliary equipment available for inspection without dismantling of the turbine unit.

These and other features and advantages will be obvious to those skilled in this art. It will also be obvious to those skilled in this art that the illustrated embodiment of the invention provides a new and improved arrangement for an elastic fluid turbine and accordingly accomplishes the objects of the invention. On the other hand, it will also be obvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of the invention may be variously changed and modified or features thereof singly or collectively embodied in other arrangements than that illustrated, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing all of the advantage thereof, and that accordingly the disclosure herein is illustrative only and the invention is not limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In an elastic fluid turbine installation, a subfoundation level, foundation structure mounted on said subfoundation level and extending upwardly from said subfoundation level, said foundation structure having a supporting surface, a turbine mounted on said supporting surface in an elevated position above said subfoundation level and arranged with the longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine in a horizontal plane, and floor structure seated on said supporting surface and spaced above said subfoundation level at least as high above said subfoundation level as approximately said longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine, said turbine having auxiliary piping and equipment located beneath said floor structure so that said floor structure and said upwardly extending foundation structure cooperate to protectively shield operators from said auxiliary piping and equipment and from the lower half of said turbine.

2. In an elastic fluid turbine installation, a subfoundation level, foundation structure mounted on said subfoundation level and extending upwardly from said subfoundation level, said foundation structure having a supporting surface, a turbine mounted on said supporting surface in an elevated position above said subfoundation level and arranged with the longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine in a horizontal plane, and a main floor structure seated on supporting structure surface and spaced above said subfoundation level at the level of said longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine, said turbine having auxiliary piping and equipment located beneath said floor structure so that said fioor structure and said upwardly extending foundation structure cooperate to protectively shield operators from said auxiliary piping and equipment and from the bottom half of said turbine.

3. In an elastic fluid turbine installation, a subfoundation level, foundation structure mounted on said subfoundation level and extending upwardly from said subfoundation level, said foundation structure having a supporting surface, a turbine mounted on said supporting surface in an elevated position above said subfoundation level and arranged with the longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine in a horizontal plane, and a main floor structure seated on supporting surface in spaced relation above said subfoundation level above the level of said longitudinal centerline axis of said turbine, said turbine having auxiliary piping and equipment located beneath said floor structure so that said floor structure and said upwardly extending foundation structure cooperate to protectively shield operators from auxiliary piping and equipment and from the bottom half of said turbine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,657,433 Frey Jan. 24, 1928 1,678,968 Allen July 31, 1928 2,608,663 Wales Aug. 26, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES Elementary Steam Power Engineering (a text), by Edgar MacNaughton, printed 1948, all pages, pages 492, 493, 502, 510, 515, 594, 596, 600, 603 relied on.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,975,600 March 21, 1961 Charles D. Wilson It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3 line 34, and column 4, line 16, after "on", each occurrence, insert said Signed and sealed this 29th day of August 1961 ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,975,600 March 121 1961 Charles D. Wilson It is Hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3 line 341 and column 4, line 16, after "on" each occurrence, insert said Signed and sealed this 29th day of August 1961.

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

